Oroville man who may have information about missing Neal King arrested on marijuana charges

OROVILLE -- The search for Neal Forrest King, missing since March 26, has led to the arrest of an Oroville man who may have information about King's last known whereabouts.

Donald and Jennifer Cheatham have been charged in Butte County Superior Court on felony counts of cultivating marijuana and possessing it for sale. Donald Cheatham, 36, has also been charged with receiving stolen property — a revolver.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday. A preliminary hearing was set for April 30.

The Cheathams are the owners of Amazon Garden Supply, a nursery and garden supply store on Ridgeview Lane in Oroville.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey said at his office the Cheathams were arrested following a search warrant issued in the investigation around the missing man.

King, 24, of Chico, has been missing since March 26 after he reportedly told his girlfriend he was going to a residence on the 4000 block of Hildale Avenue in Oroville for a business meeting.

Investigators have previously said the meeting appeared to be centered around a transaction involving marijuana.

Ramsey said the residence in question belonged to the Cheathams and the purported business meeting allegedly involved Donald Cheatham.

He said Donald Cheatham was a person of interest in the King investigation because Donald Cheatham had information about King's last hours prior to his disappearance.

King's girlfriend reported him missing to the Chico Police Department on March 29, after King failed to call or check in with her. There was also no cellphone or credit card activity prior to the missing person report.

The girlfriend reportedly saw King's vehicle outside the Hildale residence, but King wasn't there. The vehicle was subsequently towed.

The Butte County Sheriff's Office has since taken over the investigation and served several search warrants in the case. Based on gathered information, foul play is suspected.

Last week, sheriff's investigators said King was believed to have been last seen alive in the Berry Creek area, about 20 miles northeast of Oroville.*

King was last seen wearing blue jeans, a light green long-sleeved thermal shirt and brown hiking boots. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 120 pounds with green eyes and very short red hair.

Regarding the Cheatham cases in court, defense attorney Roland Bennett, of Rooney Law Firm, asked Judge Tamara Mosbarger to consider reducing Donald Cheatham's bail from $500,000 or to consider releasing him with a promise to return to court. Bennett also questioned why there was a large discrepancy between the Cheatham's bail amounts — Jennifer Cheatham's bail was set at $80,000.

Bennett said the case appeared to be a standard cultivation case and any potential danger to the public was removed when the marijuana was seized. He said Donald Cheatham has cooperated with police in another matter, including providing a DNA swab.

The defense attorney also stressed Donald Cheatham's lack of criminal record and lifelong ties to the area, although he lived at the Hildale address for three years. Several people in the court also stood in support of the defendant.

Deputy district attorney David Garner said it wasn't a standard case and alleged there was evidence of a large-scale marijuana trafficking organization. The search reportedly yielded 120 pounds of marijuana in various stages of processing, $59,000 in cash and a stolen .38-caliber revolver.

Regarding the difference in bail amounts, Garner said Donald Cheatham alone faced the stolen weapon charge. He also noted the seriousness of the marijuana and money allegations.

Garner also said the defendants told officials they didn't know where the items came from.

Bennett refuted the claim, saying Donald Cheatham wasn't present during the search and didn't make such statements.

Judge Mosbarger declined the request for now and noted the bail was set at the current level because of the elements cited by Garner.

Bennett indicated he would file a motion to pursue the matter further.

Regarding Jennifer Cheatham, 38, her attorney Dustin Gordon presented a third party willing to post her bail bond premium as a gift.

The prosecution had sought to ensure any bail money was legitimately obtained. After the presentation of the gift, Garner said the prosecution had no further objections.